No Other Way
by Randomonium
Summary: Temari is worrying about the chances they're taking, and Shikamaru tries to reassure her-and only partly because he wants to go to sleep. Not as depressing as it sounds-I hope. ShikaTema Songfic. Please read and review. Rated for slightly harsh terminolog


**No Other Way **

"Shikamaru," Temari whispered, shaking his (almost) sleeping form. Shikamaru almost groaned, but managed to stop himself. He rolled onto his back so he could see her, sitting up beside him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I can't sleep."

"Yes. I've noticed."

She was too worried to be annoyed at his dry remark. In truth, he wasn't sleeping too easily either. Nothing could stop him from sleeping completely, but with all these other things crowding his brain- his head hurt. She was the one who out those thoughts in his head anyway. It was all her fault. His fault. He couldn't figure it out.

_When your mind is a mess_

_So is mine_

_I can't sleep_

_Cause it hurts when I think_

He was uneasy about the whole situation. It was a mistake. It was the furthest thing from a mistake.

"Shikamaru, is this really a good idea? Me spending the night here. The whole relationship. It's a huge chance." Temari obviously had the same worries he had.

"Look, we've made plans to keep it secret. Or… to make it work," he reassured her.

"But will they work?" He hated how she seemed to be able to read his mind.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

_My thoughts aren't at peace_

_With the plans that we make_

_Chances we take_

_They're not yours and not mine_

_There's waves that can break_

In all honestly, all their plans and chances they took were dependant on what other people were doing. What their superiors and friends decided to do and when. Should anyone suddenly change their mind about doing something, Shikamaru and Temari were pretty much screwed. And not in the literal way, unfortunately.

"Look, Temari, it'll be fine. We worded ourselves in such a way that they couldn't have understood us," he tried to convince her. Convince himself.

"Shikamaru… we don't know what's going to happen." He could hear that there was more she needed to say, but he suspected she didn't know how to put it into words. He reached out for her hand, and her warm fingers curled around his.

_All the words that__ we said_

_And the words that we mean_

_Words can fall short_

_Can't see the unseen_

Although he would never tell her, he thought people may have been beginning to pick up that the relationship between her and him was not strictly business- or platonic. Besides, he didn't think he needed to tell her- she was observant. She knew. But they never said it aloud.

"Temari, there are problems and we can't see the future, but nothing's going to solve itself with us sitting awake worrying about it," Shikamaru pointed out gently- he was tired. "If you're tired you're not as careful, and that could be detrimental to us. And if you're tired you're grumpy and that could be detrimental to others."

She couldn't stop the small, weary smile that flitted across her lips at his wry statement.

"Please, Temari. Let's get some sleep. It's good for you."

"You're always sleeping," she murmured softly.

"And who's the genius here?" he returned, eliciting a quiet chuckle from her.

_Cause the world is awake_

_For somebody's sake now_

_Please close your eyes woman_

_Please get some sleep_

He tugged her wrist gently, silently urging her to lie down.

Her smile faded as she curled up against him and doubt filled her eyes again.

"You are the genius here," she muttered, half to herself. His forehead creased.

"What's that supposed-"

"Shikamaru, what are we going to do? How are we going to do this?" she cut him off. He doubted it was on purpose. He didn't even think she heard him.

"I don't know, Temari."

"But you must know!" she insisted irrationally.

"Temari, if I did, I'd tell you. There is nothing more I would like than to know how to navigate this whole situation, but I don't," he told her in a low voice.

_And know that if I knew_

_All of the answers I would_

_Not hold them from you'd_

_K__now all of the things that I know_

"We decided early on that we can't keep anything that could threaten this to ourselves. It's dangerous to keep secrets," he added in a gentler voice.

_We told each other there is no other way_

"Yes, it's dangerous," she breathed, once again lost in her own thoughts, barely aware she was thinking aloud. "Maybe too dangerous."

Her words chilled Shikamaru to his very core. But the ice in his veins soon turned to molten lava as his fear melted into anger- he didn't know how else to deal with it. His fear was too great to handle- anger was much easier.

"So that's it, then?" His voice was harsh. "It's too dangerous. You want it to end."

"I didn't say that," she murmured.

"But is it true? Do you want it to end?" he demanded, but not loudly.

There was a rather long silence and he snorted, withdrawing his arm from around her.

"Right. That's all I need to know," he muttered, angry at her, at himself, at the situation.

"No!" Her quiet exclamation stopped him, just as her hand stopped his arm.

"No," she repeated. "I don't. I'm… I drifted a little. Don't jump to conclusions."

Shikamaru's anger faded as he realised he had, indeed, jumped to conclusions. She was tired. She stifled a yawn and her breathing slowed. But he knew he wouldn't be so lucky.

"Shikamaru, I'm so… lost. I don't know how to solve this, and I don't like not knowing," she said sleepily.

_Well too much silence can be misleading_

_You're drifting I can hear it in the way that you're breathing_

"No one likes not knowing," he answered.

"Mmm," she replied noncommittally. "Naruto and Kankurou seem to be fine with it."

"They're special cases."

She smiled a little, lying on his arm again. A short silence followed, in which Shikamaru stared at the ceiling, now fully awake.

"Shikamaru?"

"Yes?"

"Why do I love you?" His eyes slid over to her.

"I think you'd know that better than me," he replied.

"I've been thinking and I can't really think why. But I do. It's odd."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. I think about you and your personality and quirks, and I want to hate you. But I can't," he shared.

A smirk curled at her lips. "It's cos I'm sexy."

He chuckled. "Whatever reasons there may be, I don't know. Your body drives them out of my mind," he joked.

"All part of my diabolical plan," she said in an evil sounding tone.

_We don't really need to find reason_

_Cause out the same door that it came_

_Well it's leaving it's leaving_

_Leaving like a day that's done and part of a season_

There was another short silence once their subdued laughter faded.

"I've decided," she announced.

"What have you decided?"

"I want to tell everyone."

"Why?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"I'm tired of this secrecy and uncertainty. And if that code-breaking little bitch makes eyes at you one more time I'm going to rip the whore's eyes out," Temari said matter-of-factly.

"She's not a ninja, Temari, calm down. You know I'm not going to do anything," Shikamaru reminded her, not sure if she was serious or joking.

"Yeah, you're too shit scared. As you should be," Temari quipped. "But I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell Kankurou and Gaara."

"No, you're not," he said with a smile.

"Yes, I will. I mean it this time," she insisted.

They both knew she wouldn't.

"Temari, we're too tired right now. The only thing we can do right now is go to sleep. We'll think clearer tomorrow."

"Yeah, your mind will just want to go back to sleep," Temari jibed gently.

"Maybe so, but right now, it really is the best thing to do," Shikamaru maintained.

_Resolve is just a concept that's as dead as the leaves_

_But at least we can sleep, it's all that we need_

_When we wake we would find_

_Our minds would be free to go to sleep_

Temari yawned again and snuggled in closer to him. "Mmm. Maybe you're right. I can't focus on anything right now."

"And that is why we need sleep."

"You always seem to need sleep," she replied, finally starting to fall asleep.

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Temari, I promise you, as soon as I think of something I will tell you. And I will think of something," he whispered, the last words she heard as she drifted off.

_And know that if I knew_

_All the answers I would_

_Not hold them from you'd_

_K__now all the things that I know_

_Cause we told each other, there is no other way_

-END-

**A/N: Don't own the song, it's 'No Other Way' by Jack Johnson. I was listening to the song and I actually heard the lyrics for the first time, an I listened to it again… and again… and looked up the lyrics… and listened to it again… and I was like 'OMFG it's got Shikamaru and Temari written all over it!' **

**But whatever, that's what this came from. I hope you enjoyed it. Please, please review!**


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